Defining quality of recovery – What is important to patients?

Postoperative recovery is a complex process with several interrelated domains. Traditionally, the absence of negative physiological symptoms like nausea and pain, along with avoidance of major postoperative complications, has been the standard set by clinicians and hospitals for a satisfactory postoperative recovery. Nonetheless, evidence from recent studies reports these items to be the least important from the patient point of view. Effective communication, active involvement of the patient in their healthcare decisions, and empathy from healthcare providers are rated by patients as significant factors for their quality of recovery. Although challenging to study, the development of a multimodal, patient-centered approach to evaluate the postsurgical period is critical for a truly comprehensive assessment of recovery quality. This review provides an overview of our current understanding of how patient factors like satisfaction can be impacted by the Anesthesia Care Team and how overall quality of recovery is related to perioperative patient experiences.